“I am innocent of these charges”

Skilling just made a brief statement to the judge in which he disputed reports in the media that said he hadn’t expressed remorse. He then went on to express that remorse in a Skillingesque way.

He noted that the past five years has been hard on him and his family.

“In terms of remorse, I can’t imagine more remorse,” Skilling said. “I have good friends who have died.”

That’s not a bad start. Skilling’s voice was shaky and convincing as he spoke, but he couldn’t leave it at that.

“All of that being said, your honor,” Skilling went on, “I am innocent of these charges. I am innocent of every one of these charges.” Skilling then expressed his intent to appeal and launched into a discussion of Enron’s credit rating. That included an explanation to the judge of what a triple B rating was. It was a prelude to rehash of Skilling’s defense that Enron was a great company caught unaware by market conditions. That’s the same defense that jurors discredited back in May.

It’s easy to see why Skilling disagrees with reports that say he hasn’t expressed remorse. He doesn’t seem to understand the concept.